Door closer



Feb. 12, 1952 H. A. SIMPSON DOOR CLOSER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed July 5, 1947 HHIHIII eoae V INVENTOR m W m Feb. 12, 1952 SIMPSQN 2,585,413

DOOR CLOSER Filed July 5, 1947 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 & I

INVENTOR fi e/"6a"? Shh 75012 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 12, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR CLOSER Herbert A. Simpson, Ionia, Mich., assi or to Charles W. Yerger, Southbury, Conn.

Application July 5, 1947, Serial No. 759,062

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to door closers, and more particularly to door closers of the type having an extension spring for drawing a door to closed position, and including telescoping check means designed to utilize a cushion of air to prevent slamming of the door.

One object of this invention is to provide a door closer of the above nature having springs so mounted as to exert an increasing force for latching the door when the door is in a nearly-closed position.

Another object is to provide a device of the above nature having twin extension springs symmetrically disposed about a check means, thereby avoiding eccentric forces in the check means due to placing of the springs.

Another object is to provide a device of the above nature in which the point of application of the spring force is readily adjustable, whereby the spring characteristics will be variable according to the efiect desired.

A further object'is to provide a device of the above nature in which the spring mechanism is readily replaceable with others whereby difierent weights and sizes of doors may be accommodated.

A further object is to provide a device of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very eflicient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there have been illustrated on the accompanying drawings two forms in which the invention may conveniently be embodied in practice.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of one form of door closer illustrating how it is attached to a door and a door jamb.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same, showing the internal brake mechanism in dotted lines.

, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, showing details of the brake mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a second form of door closer.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the same, partly broken away to show the internal brake mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawing, in which like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, theletter C indicates a door closer, the letter D indicates a swingable door. and the letter J indicates a door jamb. E-shaped bracket I0 2 mounts the door closer C on the jamb J, and includes a central horizontal arm II, an upper inclined arm [2, and a lower inclined arm l3. A vertical apertured base l4 connects the arms ll, l2, l3, and is secured to the jamb J by screws [5. The inclined bracket arms 12, I3 are provided with inclined slots l6, adapted to hold hooked ends I! of twin coiled extension springs [8.

The opposite ends I9 of the spring l8 are also hooked and are held in inclined slots 20 formed in an upper ear 2| and a lower ear 22 of a door bracket 23, which is provided with a T-shaped base 24 secured to the door D by screws 25. The twin springs 18 are thus connected to the jamb J and the door D in such a manner as to urge the door into closed position.

In order to prevent slamming of the door, the base 24 is provided with a pair of parallel horizontal apertured arms 26 connected by a pin 21 to a lug 28 at one end of an extensible check means 29.

An inner guide tube 30 telescoped within the other end of the check means 29 is provided with spaced lugs 31 connected to the central arm ll of the mounting bracket 10 by means of a pivot 32, so that the check means 29 is connected to the jamb J and the door D for extension and swinging movement, as occasioned by the movement of the door.

The base 33 of the guide tube 30 serves as a mounting for one end of a piston rod 34 extending concentrically in said tube. a

The opposite end of the piston rod carries a" brake member 35 coacting with an outer telescoping cylinder 36 and a domed end cap 31 to produce a checking force in the closing of the door D. The domed end cap 31 is provided with a loose screw 38 therein to serve as an adjustable bleed valve to control the operation of the brake.

The brake member 35 comprises a rod extension 39, including an integral sleeve portion 49 slidably embracing the end of the rod 34. The

rod extension 39 is retained for limited sliding mounted on the ends of the cross pin 42 on the slidable sleeve portion 40. The backing washer supports a flexible brake cup 45, such as leather, of a diameter to fit within the cylinder 36.

A nut 46 is threaded on the outer end of the rod extension 39 and serves to hold thereon a abs nt 3 retaining washer 41, a flexible compression cup 48 and a rigid expander cone 49 having a frustoconical peripheral surface 50. A coiled restoring spring 5| is disposed between the brake cup 45 and the expander cone 49 to normally urge said cup and cone apart.

Operation In the operationof the first form or the. invention shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the door closer C will be secured to the door jamb J and the door D in such a manner that the opening movement of the door will result in the extension ofithe twin springs l8 and of the telescopic check means 29.

It will be noted that the arms l2, l3 of the mounting bracket I will secure'thespring ends at a point in proximity to the jamb J, whereby the mechanical advantage of the door willbe increased as the door opens. Thus, spring buildup or'increase in tension" due to extension of the springs, will be compensated for; In fact, the parts are so proportioned-as to produce -a small over-compensation of the spring build-up, so that increased force will be exerted by the springs as the door approaches'closed position, thereby assuring that the door will positively be latched.

When the door D starts to close under the influence of the extension springs, or because of other forces exerted thereon, the piston rod 34 will move inwardly inthe outer cylinder 36 (to the right in Fig.3), and as soon as air pressure is picked up by the compression cup 48, the rod extension 39, with the expander cone 49 thereon, will be retarded against the force of the spring thereby pressing the frusto-conical surface 50 into thebrake cup 45. The cup 45, being flexible, will be expanded by the cone 49, not only at its edge, but also at the root of its cylindrical portion, due to a tendency of the cup to flatten under pressure.

Accordingly, the air pressure against the compression cup 48 will cause thecup 45 to act as a frictional brake against the cylinder wall, and only "a minor and incidental part-of the direct checking force will be provided by said air pressure itself.

The bleed valve will serve, as in the more conventional air check door closures, to control the speed at which the air is released, and hence the speed of the closing movement.

Second form Referring now to Figs. 4, 5, and ..6, a second rormof the invention is shown, wherein a single extension spring is used. In this form, a"door closer 'C is mounted upon a door .jamb J by means of a W-shaped mounting bracket 52 secured to the jamb by screws 53.

The bracket 52 includes an apertured horizontal arm 54 which supports a substantially Z-shaped adjustable anchor arm 55 having an ofiset portion 56. Integralwith the offset portion 56 is a toothed adjusting disk 51, whichtogether with a nut 58 threaded upon said offset portion 56, serves to clamp tightly uponithe" arm 54.

An integral flange 59 is formed on the 0 1 portion 56, and the flange 59 and the toothedfdisk 51 serve to confine an angle bracket 60 for swinging movement on said offset portion'56.

A coiled extension spring 6| is secured by end eyes 62 and 63 to the anchor armf55-andla hook 64,respectively.'

The hook 64 is mounted in an end wall 65 of an outer spring shielding tube 66 securely mounted upon the outer cylinder 36 by means of a double dumbbell clamp 61 which comprises a pair of concave members 61a, held together by a securing bolt 6112.

An inner spring shielding tube 68 telescopes within the outentube 66, said tubes serving as means for concealing theextension spring BI and protecting it from'dust.

-;An end cap 69 similar to the cap 31 closes the end of the outer cylinder 36, and is pivotally secured in a door bracket 10 mounted upon the door D as by screws] l. 1 'Inf-thesecondlform of the invention shown in Figs. 4, 5;"and '6', the brake means operates in theisame way as the brake mechanism of the first form.

In order to secure spring operation of the desired characteristics, the Z-shaped anchor arm 55 may be rotated in-the-bracket arm'54 to adjust the position of the spring eye 62 to th desired point. In adjusting the anchor arm 55,thete eth of the disk 51 may begripped by a'wrenchor other tool, and the nut -58, when tightened, will clamp the bracket arm 54 to hold'the ,anchor'arm 55 against rotation.

Thus, the bracket 55 may be released from-the position shown in Fig. 4 and "flxedin any angular position which 'is' required "to secure the proper spring efiect when the door closer is applied to doors having-opposite swing, or to the outside'of doors having either right-hand or left-hand I swing.

The brake mechanism herein disclosed is claimed in my copending application, ,Serial Number 64,851, filed December 11,1948, patented May 15, 1951, Number 2,552,821, which'has the same efiectiveflling date as the present applica- 1011. I

While there have been disclosed in this specification two forms inwhich the invention may be embodiedyit is to be understood that these forms are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that theinvention is not to belimi'ted to the specific disclosures, but'may be modified and embodied in various other 'forms without departing fromitsspirit. In short, the invention includes all-the modifications and embodiments comingwithin the scope of the following claims. i

Having thus fully described the invention,

what is"claixnedas"new, and for which it "is'dev sired to secure LetterPatent, is:

1. In a door closer, extensible check means, brackets adapted to connect "the ends of said check means't'oa door andto a door jarnb respectively, thebracket at one end of said check means being provided with an upstanamg'aajustable anchor arm," the other, end of s aidcheckmeans having'a hook'andnieansfor securing the hook thereto, an extension spring having respective ends secured to said anchor arm and to said hook, said anchor arm comprising an 'off set portion rotatably received in its respectivebracket, 'rnean's swin'gably attaching said one'end of said check eans" to said'oflfset portion, said oflset' portion being provided with means for a'djustably clamping said portion ag'ainst rotation, whereby'the" direction of the e ifectiveio'rcebf said extensionspring' may" be varied.

Y 2. In a" door closer, extensible check means, brackets adapted't'o connectithe ends of sa'id check means to a door'and ad'oor j'amb'zespectively, thebracket atone end of said check means being provided with an upstanding anchor arm, the other end of said check means having a hook, an extension spring having its respective ends secured to said anchor arm and to said hook, said anchor arm comprising an offset portion rotatably received in its respective bracket, means for swingably attaching said one end of said check means to said offset portion, said ofiset portion being provided with means for adjustably clamping said offset portion against rotation, whereby the direction of the effective force of said extension spring may be varied, said check means including a cylinder having a closed end, a friction brake element therein, resilient means urging said brake element to inactive condition. and a compression cup in said cylinder responsive to the force of said extension spring for actuating said brake element whereby telescoping movement of said parts will be retarded.

8 3. The door closer as defined in claim 2, wherein said cylinder comprises two telescopic sections.

HERBERT A. SIMPSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 678,790 Nushawg et a1. July 16, 1901 1,062,575 Gibbs May 20, 1913 1,169,538 Heber Jan. 25, 1916 1,431,355 Andrews Oct. 10, 1922 1,482,917 Durno Feb. 5, 1924 1,528,195 Bush Mar. 3, 1925 1,983,999

Seyforth Dec. 11, 1934 

